


Not the Best First Impression

by ancalagontheblack



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Adorable Durins, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/M, Family, Female Bilbo, Kíli Is a Little Shit, Loss, Mountains, Pain, Pregnant Bilbo, Protective Fíli, Romance, Sibling Love, Snow, Snowboarding, Teenagers, Thorin the embarrassing uncle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-23
Updated: 2014-06-12
Packaged: 2018-01-13 12:26:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1226185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ancalagontheblack/pseuds/ancalagontheblack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finn and Kieran are staying at their Uncle and Aunt's ski resort in the mountains,  when a fiery haired girl literally crashes into Finn's life, and he's not too keen on letting her slip away easily, no matter how troublesome or crazy she might be.</p><p>But when an old memory rears its ugly head, and someone Sierra thought she had left behind steals his way back into her life, it's going to be tough for Finn to help her through the pain, or risk losing her forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Unexpected Incident

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is my first fanfiction, go easy on me  
> But I always liked the idea of a snowboarding fic, and I feel like their aren't enough Fili/OFC fictions. I run out of most of them to read, so I decided to write my own. Enjoy :)

Finn whooped as he shot over another jump, landing in the snow with a thud and continuing down the slope like a flash, his brother Kieran not far behind. The cold wind nipped at his face, creeping past his muffler and snow jacket and down his neck, but he ignored it and sped past the pine trees and chair lift poles. This is where he belonged, on the slopes of the white mountains, board under his feet, breeze ruffling his blonde hair, and his brother yelling curses as another tree branch whacked him in the face.

“I told you not to board near the trees, Kieran” Finn called as he slid to a stop. “You’ll be showing up home with lashings all across your face.” They were staying at their Uncle Theo and Aunt Bella’s chalet in the blue mountains of Canada for the Easter holidays, whilst their mother Diana was away in Africa working on her fundraising campaign. They had been told specifically not to cause any trouble for Aunt Bella as she was 8 months pregnant, therefore they were not to cause her strife, otherwise they were in for it when Diana got back. But it wasn’t like Uncle Theo couldn’t keep them in line. He was a caring uncle, but stern when it came to discipline and would tolerate no nonsense from either of them. Finn and Kieran both held their uncle in great respect, for he had served in the army for 10 years before meeting Bella and moving to Ered Luin to work as the owner of Erebor, a thriving ski resort at the base of the huge mountains looming behind them.  
Finn beheld the majesty of said mountains as he waited for his younger brother to pull to a stop beside him. Kieran grumbled as he picked the twigs out of his beanie and goggles, and sat down to tighten the straps on his boots. “How much longer does this trail run? I gotta take a leak.” 

Finn covered his eyes as he surveyed the landscape. “About another 5 minutes, then I think we should reach the bottom.” He angled his board across the slope as Kieran pushed himself to his feet, then turned and headed down the hill again. They were just boarding past a large cluster of trees when Finn noticed a sudden flash of blue in the corner of his eye. He turned his head to see another snowboarder come careening down other trail connecting to his, straight into his line of trajectory. He quickly skidded to a sudden halt, but not fast enough. He and the other boarder slammed into each other and toppled over backwards, landing in a big snow drift on the side of the slope.  
Finn groaned as he pushed himself to a sitting position, and wincing at the sudden stab of pain to his right temple. He blinked a couple times to regain his sight, then turned to the offending boarder who had bowled him over. “Hey man!” he yelled. “Wanna mind telling me what that was all about?” The boarder quickly shook his head, then tugged off his helmet to reveal a huge mass of wavy red hair. Whoa. Definitely not a dude. 

The girl ran a hand through her messy locks and sent a look that could curdle dairy his way. “Excuse me?” she demanded. “You were the one charging down the hill like a maniac on rocket boots, and you have the audacity to blame me?” Finn blinked, still reeling from the blow to his head, and the fact that this girl had left him speechless. She had bright green eyes that reflected the shimmer of the snow, with a smattering of freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks, which were a pleasant shade of pink from the cold morning air. Not to mention her long fiery mane that tumbled past her shoulders, framing a soft jawline and – WHOA. Snap out of it, Finn. This chick just wiped you out, and now you’re admiring her face and promising curvy ches- God damn it. He rubbed his stubble and blew out a breath, and slapped on the ol’ flirt smirk. “Listen, I’m sorry we crashed, but you were going pretty fast there yourself. I’m not the only one to blame here. Tell you what, how about I treat you to a drink down at the pub, my uncle owns-“ He was cut off by the girl giving an indignant gasp of outrage.

“You think you can just buy me a beer and everything will be forgiven? You were a complete psychopath up there, barreling into me at top speed, and now you’re chatting me up? Un-frikkin’-believable.” She jammed on her helmet and began to push herself back onto the main slope.  
“Wait!” Finn yelled, grabbing her arm to stop her from speeding off. “I never got your name.” The girl huffed and shook her head. 

“Sierra. But my friends call me Sid. You can call me Sierra.” Finn nodded. “Sierra. Got it. I’m Finn. Sorry about the whole crash thing. Hope I didn't hurt you.”  
Sierra rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Takes more than a 100 pound blonde rhino to keep me down. Adios, Finn.” And with that, she slid off down the ski slope, and off behind the tree line. Finn stared after her and didn't notice Kieran pull to a stop behind him until his brother shoved him in the back, making him fall to his knees. “Well, well, well, brother of mine, looks like you found yourself a little friend. When was the last time you had a proper roll in the snow?”  
“Don’t be a dickhead and help me up” Finn growled. Kieran laughed and held out a hand. Finn grasped it tightly and pulled his brother down into the snow beside him, shoving a handful of snow down his back in the process. “That’s for pushing me over.” He grinned. “And believe me, bro, I’ve been with twice as many girls as you have.” he said, whipping off his brother’s beanie and shoveling it full of snow, then tugging it hard back down onto Kieran’s mop of brown hair. He laughed as his little brother struggled to regain his composure, and stood up to board back down the mountain, a certain red-headed she-devil on his mind all the way back.


	2. Brothers can be Bothersome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Bella and Theo

“Auntie Bella, we’re back!” Kieran called as they traipsed into the warm chalet, the smell of freshly baked bread hitting their nostrils. Bella loved baking, almost as much as she loved cleaning and gardening, but with a baby on the way she was taking things easy, even though Finn caught her duster in hand every so often when she thought they were out. They entered the kitchen to find their aunt cutting up a loaf a bread, jams and butter spread about the work top around her. She looked up and smiled, curly chestnut hair tied back with a green ribbon, cheeks rosy from the heat of the oven.   
“Morning boys,” she waved, slathering a slice with strawberry jam and biting into it. “How was the snowboarding?” 

“Awesome, although Finn had a major wipe out” Kieran grinned.   
Bella’s head twisted 180 degrees and she stared in horror at her oldest nephew before rushing over to where he sat in a chair by the table. “Oh my goodness, Finn, are you alright? You didn’t break anything did you? No internal organs bleeding? Please don’t tell me you’re suffering from brain damage, you just got into college!” Bella moaned as her hands checked Finn’s face and chest, poking and prodding to see if anything hurt. 

Finn brushed her hands away and huffed. “I’m fine, Auntie, really I’m fine. Seriously, just a bit bruised. Nothing to worry about.”   
“Yeah,” Kieran interrupted, mouth full of toast. “I’d be more worried about the chick he ploughed into.” 

Bella’s eyes turned huge as her hands flew to her mouth, before they swatted Finn over the back of the head. Finn yelped in surprise as Kieran doubled over laughing, toast forgotten on his plate as he fought to control his mirth. 

“Finn Durinson! Tell me you didn’t knock over a poor girl with your gargantuan snowboard! Good grief, the poor lass is probably traumatised. I would be too if I had a big blonde hooligan bearing down on me like some crazed-”

“Okay auntie, I get it, I’m a maniac. But it wasn’t my fault! She was the one boarding like a madman and knocked me off my feet.”

“Indeed she did,” Kieran smirked. “Finn couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Had to shove him in the back to bring him around. Pretty sure he offered to buy her a drink as well.” Finn shot a glare over to his brother, but the damage was done. 

“Oh my goodness, you tried flirting with this girl? Finn my boy, you don’t go around slamming into people on the ski slopes, then asking them out when they catch your eye. Wait, you didn’t crash into her on purpose, did you?” She gave him a look, which had Finn holding his hands up in defence.   
“No! Of course not! Don’t look at me like that, auntie! I told you it wasn’t my fault! And I didn’t ask her out, I was being polite and trying to apologise for the accident. I would never knock someone over as a way of asking them out. Please, that’s more Kieran’s style of flirting.” 

“Hey!” yelled Kieran from the bathroom. “I can hear you!” Bella shook her head and sighed. “What am I going to do with you two? It’s bad enough with Theo, then there’s you, Kieran and soon the baby.” She smiled and stroked her growing stomach. “I can tell he’ll be just like his father. Strong, brave, handsome, a bit grumpy at times, what with all the kicking he’s been giving me. Oh Finn, promise me when you meet a girl you want to spend the rest of your life with, you won’t knock her up until you can support a family and-” Finn groaned.   
“Aunt Bella, please, I don’t go around impregnating girls, then ditching them. I understand what they would go through, and I would never abandon them when they need someone to be there for them. You taught me that.” 

Bella sniffed quietly and rubbed her eyes. “Oh, you are going to make a girl very happy, one day Finn. You mark my words.” She smiled and pulled him into a hug. Finn sighed and wrapped his arms round his aunt’s petite shoulders, careful not to squeeze her enlarged belly. A sudden cough had them pulling apart to find a quizzical Theo in the doorway, grocery bags under one arm, eyebrows raised. He gave them both an odd look before setting the bags down on the work place and unloading the shopping. 

“Please tell me I didn’t just walk into an emotional feeling fest, otherwise I’m walking straight back out.” Bella laughed and walked around the counter to tug on Theo’s shirt, so he would bend down and let her plant a kiss on his bearded cheek. 

“Finn and I were just talking about family, dear.” She explained, picking up a carton of milk and placing it in the fridge. “And also about the attractive young girl Finn crashed into this morning on the slopes, whom he then proceeded to ask out for a drink.” Theo’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline as Finn rolled his eyes and slumped back down into the chair. 

“Did he now? How very forward of you, nephew. Well what did the young lady say?” Both sets of eyes turned on Finn as he sank deeper into the chair, face steadily growing red as he mumbled, “She got a bit angry at me, mainly because I had thrown off her momentum, and called me a 100 pound blonde rhino.” He buried his head in his arms on the table as Theo guffawed and Bella struggled to hide her smile behind her hand. Kieran walked back in to find his brother face down on the kitchen table, and his uncle and aunt laughing their heads off, although Bella was trying to be a bit more discreet about it. He stared for a bit longer before walking away into his room. 

Theo wiped his eyes before taking a breath and giving his nephew a huge grin. “I like this girl.” He said, before breaking out into another laughing fit, and this time Bella didn’t try to hold it in. Finn groaned and stomped off into his bedroom, their whispered giggles and chuckling floating along behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Bella and Theo are like two big kids, so i think they compliment each other very well


	3. A Second Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another encounter gives Finn a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of the fiery-haired snowboarder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go: another meeting with Finn and Sierra, hopefully this one will be a bit less physical

The rest of the afternoon passed without much fanfare, the boys taking to the slopes again with their uncle, after much persuasion from Bella, when Theo had insisted he shouldn’t leave her home alone for long. 

“Go!” she chuckled, giving him a slight push in the direction of the door. “I’ll be fine. You deserve a break from all the work you’ve been doing. Go on, sweetheart, it’s a Sunday, the resort will be fine without you for a couple of hours.” She gave him a quick kiss before shoving him a bit more forcefully towards the exit, waving as they trooped out the door.

When it came to snowboarding, Finn and Kieran were pros, but Theo took it to a whole new level. Apparently his time in the army hadn’t blanked his skill with a board, but instead enhanced it. Swishing past the moguls on a black run, Theo made the two brothers look like toddlers on skis. Both of them were panting heavily by the time they reached the bottom, from trying to keep up with their uncle, but Theo was grinning broadly and slapping them both on the backs heartily. 

“That was a great ride! Thank you boys, you make me feel young again.” Finn rolled his eyes. “Uncle, you’re 37.” Theo rubbed the back of his neck as he looked over the valley.  
“I know, but running a big resort in the mountains takes its toll on a man and what with the baby on the way, I can’t help but feel 60 a lot of the time. Plus, Bella being so big means we haven’t really had much chance to-” Finn clapped his hands over his ears whilst Kieran’s face turned a ghastly white. 

“Uncle! C’mon! We are not discussing your sex life with Auntie Bella!” Finn groaned.  
Theo chuckled. “Alright, I’m just teasing. Come on; let’s go grab a beer before we head back to the chalet.” Theo gave Kieran another pat on the back, which sent the youth sprawling face first into the snow. It was a miracle Finn could stay upright on his board he was laughing so much, as Kieran grumpily scooped ice out of his neckline.

The restaurant was packed as Kieran plopped their beers down onto the table. Finn grabbed his and took a swig before setting it down and surveyed the bar area. A sudden glimpse of fiery red had him sitting upright in his seat. Theo and Kieran both glanced over at him curiously, cutting short their conversation about why it wasn’t a good idea to jump off the ski lift half way up the mountain, no matter how much air you’ll get (Kieran, we are not discussing this). 

“What’s wrong, Finn?” Theo asked, moving his beer away as Kieran’s hand inched closer from his own empty bottle. 

“Nothing, it’s nothing, just thought I saw someone.” Finn mumbled, becoming suddenly very interested in his boot strap. Kieran half rose out of his seat, and before Finn could pull him back down, had spotted what caught Finn’s eye.

“Hey, it’s that chick you rammed into on the mountain this morning!” he nearly yelled. Finn roughly grabbed his jacket and pulled him back into his seat, but by that time Theo had also seen the red-headed snowboarder. 

“That’s the girl you’re fawning after, Finn? I must admit, she isn’t bad looking.”  
“Uncle,” Finn hissed. “So not appropriate.”  
Theo shrugged. “What? I’m just making a general comment.”

Kieran grabbed Finn’s shoulder and hauled him up out of his chair, and pushed him in the direction of the bar where Sierra was sitting. “Bro, you are gonna go over there and you are gonna talk to her, or so help me I will go over there and do it myself.”  
Finn froze at Kieran’s words and turned to his brother, eyes wide. “You wouldn’t.” He whispered.

Kieran nodded solemnly. “I would, you and I both know it.” Finn stared at him for a few seconds before shrugging out of his little brother’s grasp and speed walked to where the girl in question sat sipping a beer. He slid into the seat next to her and signalled the bartender over, a cheery man with an ever-present smile, and a dark moustache that flipped up at the ends. He grinned as he made his way over to Finn, readjusting his cap so that it sat at an angle atop his head. 

“What’ll it be, my boy?” he asked, picking up a glass and giving it a quick rub before setting it down.

“Just a beer, Benny, thanks.” Benny nodded and pulled out a bottle from the mini fridge, and moved on to serve other customers. Finn noted with amusement that Sierra had visibly stiffened when he had spoken, and was slowly turning round in her seat to face him. He gave her a quick glance from the side, shot her a smirk and opened his beer.

“Can’t a girl go one day in the mountains without being stalked by some random stranger with a death wish?” she asked, annoyance and a hint of interest lacing her words.  
Finn turned fully round to look at her, heart quickening at the sight of her dishevelled hair and rosy cheeks. “But sweetheart, we aren’t strangers, remember? That collision told me a lot about you.”  
He moved back to face the drinks lining the shelves opposite, grinning inwardly at the raised eyebrows of the girl next to him. “Oh really,” she drawled. “And what information have you gathered, Finn the reckless snowboarder?” His heart skipped a beat at the sound of his name falling from her lips, but steeled himself and continued. 

“I know that you’re a brilliant boarder.” Sierra was quite taken aback by this comment, not expecting such a compliment from this big blonde rider who seemed so set on talking to her, so she decided to humour him and not walk away scoffing.  
“Well… thank you, I guess. You’re not so bad yourself from what I could see before having a face full of icy snow.” Finn winced at that, feeling towards his own temple from where Sierra’s helmet had slammed painfully against his skull. 

“Yeah, sorry about that again. I really didn’t mean to crash into you, honestly. I wasn’t really paying attention to where I was going. One minute I see you out of the corner of my eye wooshing down the slope, the next minute I’m sailing through the air to land on my ass and a headache to rival a hangover my brother got when he thought he could best an ex-marine at a drinking game.”  
Sierra laughed. “Your brother sounds like a bit of an idiot.” 

Finn shrugged. “He is, but so am I. According to our mother, at any rate. But anyway, what’s your story? You intrigue me, Sierra. I find myself wanting to know more about you. God, I am starting to sound like a stalker, aren’t I?”

Sierra grinned and wiggled her eyebrows. “I told you so; I am an excellent judge of character. To answer your question though, I’m here with my dad. He wasn’t too keen at first, as we’ve had some bad experiences skiing, but I can never resist the call of the mountains, the crisp air, so I booked the tickets and said I was going with or without him. He finally relented and went to go pack, and that’s how we ended up here.” She took another swig of her beer, before giving Finn a side-glance.  
“What about you? I’ve told you my story, now you can at least have the decency to tell me yours.”

Finn rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well, my uncle owns the resort, and Kieran and I love snowboarding, so we thought we’d come down here to pay a visit to our old friends, plus our wonderful Aunt who is currently expecting.” Finn couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Sierra cooing over the idea of a new baby on the way. “And I guess I’m a little like you. I find myself in awe at the sight of the mountains every time I come here. There’s something about them that just completes me, you know?”

Sierra nodded understandingly. “It really is beautiful, isn't it? I use to come up her all the time when I was a kid, me and my mom and dad. Before she…” The girl broke off, looking down at her half empty beer.  
Finn chewed his lip. “I’m sorry, I had no idea…” Sierra waved him off with a laugh. 

“It’s okay, it was a long time ago. I guess that’s why I freaked out today on the slopes. That’s how she… y’know. I was afraid it was gonna be the same for us, when I saw you and I knew there was no way of stopping in time. I saw my life flash before my eyes. God I was so scared, scared that it wasn’t just going to be me, but you as well.” Sierra took a deep breath, but when she saw Finn listening with no intent of interrupting or walking away, she continued. 

“My mom was a winter athlete, like me, only her life was spent on skiis. She was so amazing, so wild and carefree. I remember looking at her and thinking, ‘wow, I want to be like her when I grow up’. I would see the way my dad looked at her, the amount of pure adoration and love in his eyes never ceased to amaze me. Then one day, she caught a rough patch of ice, and skidded right into another skier, and they both went tumbling off the edge. The skier was okay, he got out of it with just a broken leg, but my mom… The doctors said she had fallen on her neck, snapping her spinal cord in several different places… She was dead before they could airlift her to the hospital. That day, I saw all the light leave my father’s eyes when he heard what had happened. I haven’t seen him smile since.” There was a pause, Sierra tugging on a strand of hair, Finn staring at his hands, at a loss for words.  
Sierra gave a gasp, hands covering her mouth. “Oh crap, what am I saying? I can’t believe I went and piled all that emotion on you, god I am so sorry, I’m not normally like this. I guess I just find you easy to talk to.” Her eyes flitted to his, hidden by thick lashes, then darted away to her now empty beer bottle. She jumped when Finn reached out to cover her hand with his own, but didn’t pull away.

“It’s okay, I think it’s good to just stop and talk about it. Better than leaving all that emotion bottled up inside. Besides, I know what you went through.”  
Sierra looked him straight in the eye dubiously. “You do?”

He nodded. “My dad died when I was 7, my brother 6. Work accident, he was a builder. My mom doesn’t like to talk about it. It’s hard, I know, you feel like a part of you has been ripped out and chucked away carelessly. It’s bad enough losing a family member, but a parent is really tough. I don’t think I could bear it if I lost anyone else close to me. My other uncle was killed a few years later, some sort of gun showdown. He was caught in the crossfire. So yeah, I understand, Sierra. Don’t think you’re alone in this world.” Finn traced his thumb across the back of her hand, and felt his heart skip a beat again when she smiled at him, a proper one. 

“Thank you, Finn. This was really nice, to have someone to talk to. And please, call me Sid. I think it’s safe to say we can consider each other friends, what with sharing all the emotional baggage there. I got to go though, my dad will be wondering where I am. I’ll see you out on the slopes, hopefully.” Sierra- Sid hopped out of her chair and shuffled past the tables towards the exit, giving him one last wave as she ducked out into the chilly air.

Finn stared after her, a smile splitting his face in two, until his brother and uncle grabbed both his arms and carried him out into the snow, where they threw him in a deep snowdrift, laughing as he spluttered curses at them both. “My dear nephew,” rumbled Theo, helping him back up. “You are well and truly smitten.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you guys notice a certain hatted-character make a quick appearance there? I will try and add some more Bofur in, but no promises
> 
> I am currently working on chapter four, and i hope to publish it in the next week, but sadly school is starting up again so apologies for any late updates 
> 
> *drags self back to work*


	4. Some familiar faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few old friends show up, and Finn and Sierra decide to take a ride in the gondola together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we have a few new characters appearing, and the slow break down of one's confidence, as well as my heart  
> *sigh*

The next morning, Finn woke up to a pillow hitting his head with a bit more force than necessary. He grunted and rolled over, to end up falling on the floor and his brother’s laughter ringing in his ears. He sat up and chucked the pillow back, grinning when it gave a reassuring whack and there was an indignant “Hey!” Finn pulled himself up and glared at Kieran, who didn't even have the decency to look ashamed for the impromptu wake up call.

“Get dressed, Dwain and Brian are here.” Kieran said, and walked out. Finn craned his neck, and could hear the unmistakable bellowing laugh of his uncle’s best friend Dwain, the huge Scottish man with tattoos painting his large forearms and biceps, something Finn and Kieran were still trying to persuade their mother to let them get, which sounded slightly ridiculous seeing as they were nearly fully grown men. But their mother still had a way of keeping them close to her, even though Finn was moving out to go to college, and Kieran already had a job at the mechanics. 

Then there was Brian, Dwain’s older brother, more of a father really, ever since their own dad left 30 years ago. He was a kind man, patient and understanding when his brother was more the opposite, so it was Brian having the skill to stop a bar fight and pull Dwain out before things got ugly.

Finn pulled on his ski pants and a jumper before brushing his teeth and running out into the kitchen, where Brian sat at the table nursing a coffee chatting to Bella, Dwain was slapping Kieran on the back laughing heartily, and Theo stood at the cooker frying up what smelt to be bacon, making Finn’s mouth water. 

He stopped in the doorway, taking in the scene laid out before him, and smiling. This was how things should be, happy and companionable. Dwain looked up from sitting at the worktop and spotted him.

“Ho, Finn my boy! You’re alive! We’d thought you’d strangled yourself with the sheets in the night. Wouldn’t put it past ya to. Nearly did one night when you were a wee boy.”

Finn rolled his eyes and moved to give the older man a hug. “It’s good to see you too Dwain.” He said, gasping for breath as the ex-marine gave him a bone-crushing squeeze. Dwain let him go and gave him a quick glance over. 

“Looks like someone’s finally hit puberty, lad. You’ve grown! And is that a bit of scruff I see sproutin’ from your chin?” The big man roughly seized Finn’s jaw between his meaty hands and scrutinized his face closely. “Lookin' good my boy. The ladies will be throwing themselves onto you on the slopes.” He paused, giving Finn a slow smirk. Finn’s eyes grew big, and he peered round the bear to shoot Kieran a look.  
“You told him?!” he asked, barely restraining himself from beating his little brother in. Kieran feigned mock innocence, hand fluttering to his chest dramatically. 

“What? Me? Don’t be so quick to point fingers, bro.” He cast a glance over in Theo’s direction at the stove. Finn stared at his uncle, disbelief etched on his face. “Uncle! How could you?”

Theo raised his hands defensively. “What? He was gonna find out eventually.”  
Dwain clapped him on the back. “Ah, don’t be too hard on yer self, lad. There are always gonna be a few who get away.”  
Finn coughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Actually, I saw her again at the bar last night, and I was gonna go out today to see if I could find her again.” 

There was a silence in the kitchen, before a burst of choruses from each member erupted.

“You go on lad, no shame in a little chase, is there?”

“Finn, honestly, she’s gonna think you’re a complete stalker.”

“Oh how romantic! Theo, I remember you rarely left my side during our first few weeks together.”

“Bella, I hardly think this is the time…”

Finn dropped down in a chair at the table and put his head in his hands, tired of his family already and it wasn’t even seven-thirty. A gentle hand patting him on the shoulder had him looking up into the kindly face of Brian, who gave him an encouraging smile.  
“If you like this lass, my boy, then you go after her, no matter what these nay-sayers tell you. You see something you want, you go for it.” 

Finn nodded. “Thanks Brian.” He gave the old man a quick hug before hurrying to the coat rack, eager to grab his jacket and boots and hit the snow.  
“Whoa wait for me! I am not missing watching you screw up in front of a girl a second time!” Kieran joked as his tugged on his own ski jacket. 

Finn rolled his eyes but still motioned his brother to lead on, closing the door in time to hear Bella say, “Brian, did you refer to that girl as a possession? I think we need to have a little chat about the role women play in modern society…”

 

“For Gods’ sake, Finn, will you relax? You’ve been acting jumpy all morning and it’s getting on my nerves.”

They were walking towards a gondola that would take them to the other side of the mountains, boards hefted over their shoulders, boots crunching in the fresh snow. The line was short luckily, so the boys were able to get up the stairs quickly and scan their passes. The gate let them through, and they trudged over to the queue waiting to board the bubble.  
Kieran’s eyes widened as he looked past his brother, then nudged Finn’s shoulder and pointed ahead. “Look’s like fate is watching over you, man.”

There in front of them, chatting with a tall girl carrying skis, was Sid. Finn involuntarily smiled at her blue jacket with a snarling black panther covering the back. It suited her. Very well, in fact… 

Finn mentally kicked himself for getting distracted, and walked up behind the shorter girl and whispered in her ear, “If I didn't know better I’d say you were following me.”  
Sid spun round and looked up at him, exasperation marking her expression, but Finn could see the amusement dancing in her eyes. “I could say the same thing for you.” 

A few seconds passed when they caught each other’s gaze, but what felt like hours for Finn, staring into her eyes, feeling like he could get lost in their endless green depth. Then a cough snapped them back to reality.  
“Oh, yeah, Sid, this is my brother Kieran.”  
Kieran walked up to stand beside Finn, grinning broadly. “Nice to finally meet you, Sid. Finn has been talking non-stop about-” he quit talking with a hushed grunt of pain when subtly Finn elbowed him in the ribs none too gently. 

Sid laughed. “It’s nice to meet you too, Kieran. And this,” she said, pulling the other girl waiting patiently behind her forward, “Is Talia, my cousin. She’s staying with me and my dad whilst my aunt, her mom, is out on some scientific expedition. Something about the abominable snowman…?” 

Talia groaned. “She is convinced that yetis lives out in these mountains, so she and a few of her scientist friends have herded together to collect evidence. I swear, my mom is almost a big a nerd as Sid is.”  
Sid punched her lightly in the arm. “Watch it; this nerd could take you down in two seconds flat.”  
“Sweetheart, I took martial arts training for 6 years straight. I could whoop your ass with one hand behind my back.” Talia laughed lightly.

The man minding the gondola called out to them, “You kids getting on or what?”  
Finn looked over to Sid. “You girls mind if we catch a ride with you?”

Sierra nodded enthusiastically, but caught herself and instead shrugged. “Yeah sure why not. Besides, I think Kieran and Talia have already taken a liking to each other.” Finn glanced over to see the two already chatting away happily, dumping their skis and snowboard in the rack and climbing onto one of the moving bubbles.  
“Hey, we’ll see you two up there.” Kieran yelled as the doors swung close, Finn nearly missing the sly wink his brother threw in his direction. He planned this. Sneaky bastard.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” With one hand, Finn grabbed Sierra’s snowboard along with his own and placed them both in the next gondola, then gestured to her to climb aboard after doing so himself. “My lady, your carriage awaits.”  
Sid giggled helplessly, and took Finn’s offered hand to pull her in. “My, my, such a gentleman.”

They smiled at each other as they sat down on the benches, but Sierra’s dropped when she glanced out the window, her face going deathly white against the sky blue of her ski jacket. “Oh no, please no. Shit.” she breathed, staring out onto the snow below as the bubble lifted them up and away. 

“Sid? Sierra, what’s wrong?” Finn knelt down in front of her when she placed her head in her hands and started breathing heavily. His heart plummeted at the look on her face when she lifted her head to meet his anxious gaze. “Samuel.” She whispered, before tears started trickling down her cheeks, and she threw her arms around him, sobbing quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sierra is a strong character, but everyone has to have a little cry sometimes. We're only human. This chapter was quite fun to write, and yeah, i'm a total Kili/Tauriel shipper. I loved her in the movies, and i'm so glad Peter Jackson put her in. Kids need a strong female lead to look up to
> 
> So yeah, will be working on chapter five soon enough, where you find out what's reduced Sid to a broken mess :( poor baby
> 
> And yeah also I figured Finn and Sierra seemed pretty intimate already even though they just met, but I kinda liked the idea of them just really feeling comfortable around the other, and sorta having an instant connection


	5. Memories and Mixed Emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where we find out about Sierra's past, and Finn makes a vow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so here we are, Sid tells Finn about her tragic past  
> *cue dramatic music*

Finn held Sid close as she silently cried into his shoulder, hands clenched into fists in his ski jacket. A sudden surge of protection washed over him, and he had the sudden desire to murder whoever had made her like this, this broken form of a girl. A side of Sierra he hadn’t seen before, a crack in her usually strong armour, revealing the hurt, scared feelings she must have tried so hard to lock away. 

They stayed like this for a few minutes, Finn kneeling on the floor of the bubble stroking her bright hair, Sid slowly relaxing in his gentle embrace. Finally she drew back and wiped her eyes, choking out a nervous laugh.  
“Ah, sorry about that. God, I barely know you and I’ve already unloaded all my emotions from day one.”

“No, Sierra, there’s nothing to be sorry about. You’ve obviously been hurt, and I understand that. If you ever need to talk, you only need to ask. I’ll be right here. Do you want to talk now?”  
Sid bit her lip. “I guess I should, you deserve an explanation for that little scene. Plus I think it would be good to get it out of my system, instead of bottling it all up. You as well are pretty easy to talk to, which is a bonus. Thank you.” She said, gracing him with another one of her small but sweet smiles. Finn nodded and sat next to her on the seat and, when she surprisingly rested her head on his shoulder, wrapped an arm comfortingly around her.   
Sid sighed contently and began her story.

“The man I saw outside the café, was my ex-boyfriend Samuel. We started dating 2 years ago, when I was seventeen. It was nice for a while, he would text me sweet messages every day, pick me up after my shift and take me for a walk in the park, once invited me to his cousin’s wedding. But soon he began to grow a bit possessive, getting angry if I didn’t pick up his calls, threaten all my guy friends, come with me everywhere I went. One day it was just too much. The perfect little world we were living in broke apart, and I saw what was really happening. Samuel no longer saw me as a girlfriend, an equal. I was a possession to him, something he could hoard and protect, not let out of his sight in case I made a run for it. I confronted him about it, and that’s when he snapped. The rage I saw in his eyes… It wasn’t human. I was so scared, terrified. I hardly ever get scared, but at that moment… I felt like he was going to strike me there and then. He screamed at me, telling me how dare I think that, of course he loved me, I was being utterly delusional. Suddenly he became scary quiet, as if someone had hit a switch. He grabbed me and kissed me over and over, choking out how sorry he was, how he would never hurt me. I couldn’t just leave him like that, so I stayed. And he got worse and worse, so bad that I could hardly leave my own house. It was the same every week, he would shout, I would cower, he would apologise and we would be fine. But I couldn’t take it anymore, so a few months ago I left a note on his bedside table in the night, packed my bags and drove to my dad’s house. I got a new phone, with a new number, blocked him on every social networking site, and completely erased him from my old life. I found another job, an apartment, and started taking some classes. So here I am… And so is he.”

Finn felt his heart shatter into tiny pieces for this girl he just met, this strong, confident girl who seemed so full of energy and life. He felt again the urge to punch this Samuel bastard in the jaw, but quickly quelled the thought. Now would not be the best time to go beating up Sid’s ex’s when she needed someone to listen to her.   
“God Sierra, I… I’m so sorry you had to go through that. It’s not right, the way he treated you. If there’s anything I can do, please, let me know.”

Sid sat up slowly from under his arm, and gave him a hopeful look. “Could you uh… Possibly, if it’s no trouble… Can you and Kieran stick around with me and Talia today? It’s only because I’m a bit afraid of running into Samuel. I mean, Talia is trained in martial arts and karate and stuff, so she can beat him up easy, no questions asked, but it would nice to have someone to talk to. Someone who listens without judging, and you’re really good at that, so...” she peered up at him through her lashes, and Finn found himself wanting to do whatever this girl asked of him, wanting to make the pain go away.  
“Of course we will. It would be our pleasure. Plus, I have been dying for a good race for ages. Kieran never puts any effort into it, and my uncle could beat me blindfolded. You, on the other hand, look like you could be pretty interesting competition.”

Sierra flashed him a grin. “Prepare to have your ass handed to you on a silver platter.”   
Finn smiled. Yep, today was going to be a good day.

 

They jumped off the gondola, and Finn went to grab their snowboards, but found Sid had beaten him to it. She tossed it to him and walked out the exit to find Kieran and Talia, oblivious to the blue eyes staring straight after her. Finn followed Sid onto the snow and stomped over to where his brother was still chatting with Sid’s cousin, gently whacking him on the shoulder to get his attention.

“Hey, Kieran, Sierra’s asked us to join her and Talia on the slopes today, if that’s okay with you Talia”, he said, directing this last bit at the tall skier.   
Talia nodded. “Totally up for it, but uh, Finn, is everything alright with Sid?” she asked, glancing over to where the girl in question was strapping her boots in.  
Finn sighed and looked Talia in the eye, which was easy seeing that she was almost taller than him. “She saw her ex, Samuel, outside the café when we were riding up in the gondola.”

Talia’s face paled then quickly turned red with rage. “Crap, this is not good. No, this is bad. Really bad. Do you know what he did to her?”  
Finn nodded solemnly. “She told me on the way up here. God, Talia I had no idea. What if she runs into him?”

Talia shook her head fiercely, dark red hair whipping from side to side. “We can’t let that happen. That man was a monster, and if she sees him again, all her work to leave him in the past will crumble, and she may even agree to get back together with him. No doubt that’s why he’s here. Finn, you keep him away from Sierra, I will not bear witness again to the torment and angst I saw that girl go through.”  
“Talia, you have my word I will not let anything happen to her. But don’t worry, she’s strong, I can see it.”

Talia studied Finn, checking for any hesitation or doubt in his eyes, but finding none, nodded her head once and left without a word to click into her skis. Finn ignored the questioning looks Kieran was throwing his way, deciding to tell him later, and dropped down beside Sid to strap himself onto his board. She had already finished tightening the straps and was rolling over to push herself upright.  
“You sure you want to do this? Because once I get going I give it my all, no mercy for the weak. Not too late to back out now.” 

Finn gave her a look. “Not on your life. When I make a commitment I stick to it. You’re not getting out of this that easily.”  
Sierra laughed. “Sweetheart, I’m not the one who should be scared. I’m just giving you a warning.”  
Finn pulled himself onto his feet, hopping to the top of the slope where Talia and Kieran already waited. “Okay, see that ski lift at the bottom, on the left? First one to reach it wins, loser pays for lunch.” He held out his hand, to which Sierra grasped it and shook it firmly.

“Deal. One two three go!” she yelled, and put all her weight onto her left foot to tip herself over the edge and rocket down the mountainside, Finn following suit. 

Kieran and Talia looked at each other, grinned and knuckle-bumped the other.   
“Phase one of get-Finn-and-Sierra-together complete.” Kieran chuckled, quickly followed by “Oof!” as he was pushed over into a snow pile, Talia cackling manically and pushing away with her poles to zip down the slope, smiling when she heard him call out indignantly and race after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so Samuel sounds quite like a dragon, which is what i was aiming for, possessive and angry
> 
> next chapter i'm gonna try getting in a few more company members


	6. "I've missed you"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We have the characters of Ori and Dori appearing, with mention of Nori. And a sudden leap of faith is taken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah this chapter was a bit hard to right, but i managed to finish it woohoo
> 
> oh yeah also if you want to follow me on tumblr here you go: http://ancalagon-theblack.tumblr.com/
> 
> thanks for reading, be sure to leave kudos to show your love and comments if you have anything to say :)

Finn ended up paying for lunch at the restaurant, after a fair amount of squabbling over who really made it to the chair lift first, and how ducking under the rope was cheating. But he finally conceded that Sierra had won and went to place their order at the counter. Sierra turned away from watching Finn’s retreating back to find Kieran and Talia watching her from their places across the table, both wearing knowing smirks. 

“What?” she asked, glaring at them behind her hair, trying unsuccessfully to hide the blush that was creeping across her cheeks from being caught staring. 

“Nothing.” They said in unison, before picking up the menu and proceeding to whisper and giggle behind it. Sid sighed and glanced around, taking in the colourful array of ski suits, eyes wandering over each individual until a familiar face stopped her roaming.

“Olivia! Hey Liv! Yo Ri’dottir!” Sierra waved her arms frantically at the young woman quietly sipping tea with her sister, nose buried in a novel. Olivia looked up through her glasses and squealed in delight when she spotted Sierra.   
“Sid! Oh my gosh, hi!” she babbled, rushing over to hug her friend, book left forgotten on the table. She pulled up a chair and promptly sat down in it, leaning over to give Sierra another crushing squeeze. 

“It’s been so long! Where have you been? We’ve missed you, me and Darcy. Naomi hasn’t been around recently, but I’m sure she’d love to see you too. How’s your dad? Is his back any better? I can ask Darcy if she has any herbal infusions to help-”   
“Whoa slow down Liv! I’ve missed you too, and yes my dad is a lot better thank you for asking. Oh, Olivia, this is my cousin Talia and our friend Kieran.” Sierra pulled the menu down to reveal the two still whispering, but immediately stopped when their cover was ruined. 

“Oh sorry! Yeah hi I’m Talia, it’s nice to meet you Olivia.” Kieran and Talia held their hands over the table for Olivia to shake, which she did hesitantly. Sierra sighed inwardly. Liv had always been shy and cautious around new people, only feeling comfortable with those she had known for a long time. 

Kieran nodded towards the counter. “That’s my brother Finn carrying the food over now. Finn, this is Liv, Sid's friend.” Finn placed the tray in front of them and sat down quite close next to Sierra, an action that did not go unnoticed by Olivia, who had the eyes of a hawk and the imagination of a romance novelist. She lifted her eyebrows but still accepted the offered hand Finn held out.  
“Wonderful to meet you Finn. Are you Sid’s new boyfriend?”

Sierra had a sudden choking fit on the burger she had started to wolf down ravenously, Talia handing her a water bottle and Finn patting her on the back, laughing.

“Sadly not Liv, we’re friends. Only met a few days ago when she crashed into me on the slope.” Sierra glared at him from over the water bottle rim. “I thought we had come to an agreement that it was a mutual mistake on both our parts, mister.” She prodded him in the chest, and quickly snatched it back when she felt the hard muscle underneath, cheeks flaming red.   
Luckily no one noticed the sudden change of colour in her skin, too busy tucking into their food to notice. 

“Oh gosh Sid, you crashed into him?” Olivia gasped, hands flying to cover her mouth. “We need to wrap you in bubble wrap and attach a bell around your neck to let people know to move out of the way.” The whole table laughed at this, and Sierra was about to issue a smart comeback when she felt a gentle hand cover her shoulder.

“Come now Olivia. It’s not like you've never ran into a glass door when you were little. In fact, didn't you do that last week?” A soothing voice floated into Sierra’s ear, and she turned in her seat to find Darcy Ri’dottir smiling down at her.  
“Darcy!” she cried, getting up to hug the older woman. “I've missed you.” She mumbled into the fluffy coat Darcy was wearing, voice nearly breaking as she inhaled the familiar perfume.   
Darcy rubbed her back affectionately. “I’ve missed you too, my dear. How’s your father?” she inquired, pulling away to cup Sierra’s cheek in her warm calloused hand. 

Sierra pursed her lips. “He’s doing well. Coming back here was tough, but… he knows he needs to face the past and accept it, otherwise he’ll never move on.”   
Darcy nodded understandingly. “I know, child, I know. But let’s not talk about that now. Who are these lovely young people?”  
“Oh of course, sorry about that, guys, this is my family friend Darcy, she’s Olivia’s sister. Darcy, this is Talia, who I believe you’ve met before, Kieran, and Finn.” She pointed at each individual in turn, who raised their hand in greeting when mentioned.

Darcy smiled at them all. “Wonderful to meet you. Sierra, you've grown so much. Tell your father I said hello. I will be dropping by soon to recommend some new herbal teas I just bought. But Olivia, we have to be going now, Naomi said she’d drop by and I have half a mind to teach that girl a lesson for disappearing like that.” She ranted, turning to leave. Olivia sighed.  
“Alright, I guess I better go stop Darcy from ripping Naomi a new one. This is the third time this year she’s run off without a goodbye, and Darcy is at her wits end worrying. I’ll see you all another time. Lovely to meet you.” 

She pulled Sierra into another hug, and quickly whispered in her ear, “Finn’s cute. I’d go for it if I were you. Although I have a feeling you’re probably half way there.” She quickly dashed off before Sierra could say another word, or box her ears in.   
Finn frowned. “What did she say, Sid?” 

Sierra’s eyes widened slightly and she coughed. “Oh nothing, just that she’ll email me soon.”  
Talia looked sceptical, but Finn shrugged. “Okay. She seemed nice, though. I like her. And Darcy. But she’s a lot older than Olivia, why is that?”

“Oh, their mom became pregnant with Darcy when she was 16, and only had Naomi when she was 36. Different dads as well.” Sierra leaned forward to pick up her half-eaten burger, stealing one of Talia’s fries when she and Kieran retreated behind the menu again. “I guess it’s just you and me now, Finny boy. We've officially been excluded from their conversation. Rude.”  
“Oh, it’s not so bad.” Finn replied. “I quite enjoy the company.” He gave her an endearing smile, and Sierra felt her stomach do a flip. ‘No, stop, bad stomach, down boy down. Stop it. We do not like this boy like that, he is a friend’ she thought fiercely. 

Taking a swig of water, Sierra quickly searched for a conversation topic.   
“So you told me you were staying here with your uncle and aunt? What are they like?”

Finn scratched his stubble. “Uncle Theo and Aunt Bella? Man they’re great, Theo works a full time job managing the resort, and has time to manage the household, what with Bella’s baby on the way. Bella always tries to help cook or clean, so we have to do everything before she wakes up in the morning, or when she’s reading. She loves reading, as well as gardening, cooking, washing up. She’s such a wonderful woman, you’d like her. Not one to back down in a fight. Whenever she and Theo have one of their little couple arguments, she won’t stop until she’s proven she’s correct. Plus Theo usually backs down when things get a bit too heated. Doesn't want Bella stressing out too much. But they love each other so much. Bella is just what Theo needed after his dad was MIA a few years back. They complete each other.”  
“They sound amazing. You’re lucky to have them.” Sierra sighed.  
Finn nodded. “Yeah… I am.”

 

As the sun started to bathe the peaks a golden shade of light, and the ski lifts one by one slowly shut down for the night, the four found themselves making one final trail, thankfully void of all people save the odd skier whooshing past. Sierra laughed aloud at Kieran blocking his brother’s chance to board passed him by skidding in front wherever Finn moved to. There were a few curses thrown from each sibling, and both gave a call of displeasure when Sierra zoomed right past them, their squabble giving her a chance to pick up some speed to pass them. She gave them a mock salute before carrying on, curving around the bends and over the snow piles before coming to a stop at the bottom of the slope. Talia was already there, stepping out of her skis and pulling off her goggles to give her hair a quick run through with her fingers, dislodging any clumps of ice. 

Sierra was undoing her straps as Finn followed shortly by Kieran slid to a stop beside her, still bickering about how you shouldn’t swerve in front of someone when you’re trying to pass them. She picked up her board and glanced at her watch. Half past seven, she should be heading home soon to make sure her dad was alright. 

“Okay, I gotta split, my dad will be wondering where I am soon, seeing that I didn’t tell him what time I’d be back.”  
Kieran took out his phone from his pocket. “Yeah, Finn and I better get going too, just got a text from Bella, said Dwain and Brian will be leaving soon and we should say good bye. Which way are you walking, Talia?” He inquired.   
Talia gave him an amused look but answered with, “Down past the souvenir shop, to the right.”  
Kieran grinned. “How convenient, we’re going that way as well. Ready, Finn?”

Finn gave a cough and looked over at Sierra. “Actually, I was gonna walk Sid back to her chalet, make sure she gets home safely.”  
Sierra raised an eyebrow at this. “Were you planning on telling me this or were you just gonna trail me the whole way there?”   
Finn, to his credit, blushed a little, but Sierra laughed and whacked him with her gloves. “I’m just teasing, Finny boy. I’d be delighted if you’d accompany me home.” 

Finn’s expression brightened considerably, and gave a wave in Kieran’s direction. “Tell Bella and Theo I’ll be back soon, okay?”  
Kieran rolled his eyes. “Fine, but it’s your funeral if you’re late.” Then he and Talia headed off, talking animatedly.  
Finn turned to Sierra and invited her to lead on. “I may be accompanying you, but I still don’t know the way.”  
Sierra hitched up her snowboard and they began the trek back to her chalet. 

The journey was not unpleasant, save the dull ache that was starting to manifest in her muscles from carrying her board. Finn joked around about all the crazy stunts he and Kieran had pulled when they were slightly younger, and Sierra smiled and listened to his stories, feeling quite content for the first time in a while. The crisp air nipped at her nose and cheeks, so she pulled her collar up higher and blew breath into her chilled hands. Finn noticed this action and paused in the middle of a back story involving the headmaster of their old high school and several buckets of cottage cheese.  
“Your hands cold?” he asked. 

Sierra shook her head. “No, no I’m fine, carry on.” But Finn reached down to take her small hand in his, engulfing it with his large paw. A sudden shock passed through Sierra when they made contact, but she took a deep breath and kept walking, now hand in hand with Finn. He continued chatting cheerfully, but all Sierra could think about was the heat his hand emitted, and the way his thumb unconsciously stroked across the back of her knuckles softly. She bit her lip and kept her head down, lest Finn saw the blush that bloomed across her cheeks.

They finally reached her door, and Sierra reluctantly pulled her hand away to grab her keys.   
“Thank you, Finn, for walking me home. It was very sweet of you.”  
Finn laughed nervously. “Ah, don’t mention it. It was the least I could do. I’m really glad we got to spend the day together, I had a fantastic time. And I uh… well, if you didn’t mind… I was hoping…”

Sierra giggled silently at his adorable stuttering. “That we could do it again sometime? Yes, I would like that, a lot.”   
Finn gave a quick sigh of relief. “Oh, that’s great, really great, well uh, I’ll see you tomorrow?”  
“I should hope so.” Sierra grinned. And before her courage failed her, and she ran up into her room like a little girl, she rose up on her tip toes and brushed a soft kiss against Finn’s cheek. Only for a second, but a sudden fire sparked in her heart, and she quickly stepped back.

“Well, goodnight.” She croaked, before spinning round to unlock the door, and rush inside, where she leaned against the wooden paneling, trying to slow her beating heart, until she hear soft footsteps pad away. She sank to the ground, snowboard lay forgotten on the floor in the small foyer. She rested her head on the wall, grinning into the dim light, when a quick cough caught her attention. She bolted upright, and peered into the dark shadows in the corner of the room. 

“Is anyone there?” she asked, feeling her voice start to break in fear.  
A shadow detached itself from the blackness, and a figure strode out into the pale glow the small light bulb cast.  
“Sierra, my darling, how I’ve missed you.” A sleek voice purred dangerously.

Sierra’s breath caught in her throat. Her mind went blank and her thoughts turned fuzzy. Incomprehensible noises tumbled from her mouth wordlessly, until one name managed to form on her tongue.  
“Samuel.” She whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun dun DUUUUUUUNNN
> 
> (how on earth did he manage to get into the foyer?)


	7. It's been a while

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The encounter between Sierra and Samuel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite a short chapter, but I couldn't find the imagination to write anything else

Samuel stood underneath the hanging light, dressed in an expensive-looking long black coat, leather gloves covering his hands. He smiled at Sierra, but that smile held no warmth or love. Instead, it held the promise of revenge and vindictiveness. 

“My, my, Sierra, has it only been four months? You look so different, so mature and lively. Goodness, if I didn't know any better, I’d have said you met someone. But of course, you would never do that to me, would you? You would never betray me, never be passed around like some cheap whore, a filthy bed warmer.” Rage had begun to contort Samuel’s face, but was quickly replaced by a charming, poisonous grin. 

“But it’s okay, I forgive you. And now it’s time to come home with me, my sweet, where you belong. I have missed you terribly.” He reached out with a gloved hand to take Sierra’s hand, but she recoiled.  
“I’m not going anywhere with you, Samuel. You need to leave.”

Samuel froze, and for a moment Sierra saw the mask fall, revealing shock, confusion and barely controlled ire. He laughed aloud.  
“My darling, don’t be absurd. Of course I am leaving. And you are coming with me.” Quick as a snake, Samuel grabbed Sierra’s wrist and yanked her towards the door. 

“No!” She cried, tugging on her arm, but Samuel’s grip was iron. Desperate now, Sierra lashed out with her feet to strike Samuel in the shins.   
Samuel cried out in pain and the tight grip on Sierra’s wrist loosened, enough to allow her to snatch her hand back and stumble into a corner. Samuel picked himself back up and straightened his collar, before striding over, making to grab Sierra again. Fueled by adrenaline and the desire to hurt this man like he had hurt her, Sierra’s hand flashed out and smacked Samuel right across the cheek. 

She gasped out loud, hands flying to her mouth at the sudden realization at what she had done, as well as the knowledge of what would come next. But Samuel only stood there, eyes closed, breathing heavily. Then he opened those cold eyes and fixed her with a stare. 

“I see.” He spoke, dangerously quiet. “You just need some time to pull yourself together. I will leave, without you, for now. But mark my words, my girl,” he growled, pulling her against him, and leaning down to hiss in her ear. “You are mine, and no blonde brute is going to take you away from me.” He then pushed her away and strode to the door, pulling it open with force before exiting into the chill night.

Sierra stood there for a few moments, catching her breath, before letting out a low moan and sliding to the ground, tears pouring relentlessly from her eyes, and letting out shaky sobs in between gasps for air. She felt like her little safe haven had suddenly come tumbling down before her eyes, all the wonderful feelings she had experienced over the past few days were now gone, scared away by Samuel’s powerful presence. She lay there for a few more minutes, silently crying, before finding the willpower to drag herself back up and over to the elevator. 

Opening the door into the little apartment she and her dad were staying in, Sierra pulled herself over to the couch and flopped down on it, stifling her groans with a plush pillow.   
“Everything alright, dear?” Sierra lifted her head to look at her father, Michael, who was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, drying a glass with a tea towel.   
She gave him a weak smile, and decided it would make everything worse if she told him Samuel was here. “Everything’s great dad, thanks.” 

Her father smiled and nodded. “Wonderful. So, can I make you a cup of tea? You look pretty exhausted. Long day on the slopes?”  
Sierra grinned. “A cup of tea sounds awesome, thank you. And yeah, this was a pretty… eventful day.”  
“I’m glad to hear it.” Her dad said as he re-entered the kitchen. 

Sierra dropped the smile as soon as her father was out of sight, and flopped her head back down on the pillow, groaning quietly. Her perfect little world she had worked so hard to build up had come crashing down right before her very eyes, as soon as Samuel picked up the hammer and re-entered her life.


End file.
